2 syllables: hat, ching. Stress on hat.
HACH-ing
/ˈhætʃɪŋ/
hatching is pronounced HACH-ing (/ˈhætʃɪŋ/). It has two syllables (hat-ching), with the stress on "hat". Hatching refers to the act of breaking out of an egg or the process by which eggs are incubated to develop and emerge as young. In a broader sense, it can describe the formation or emergence of plans, schemes, or colors through gradual development. The term is commonly used in biology, agriculture, and metaphorical contexts to denote initiation or birth of something new.
Hatching refers to the act of breaking out of an egg or the process by which eggs are incubated to develop and emerge as young. In a broader sense, it can describe the formation or emergence of plans, schemes, or colors through gradual development. The term is commonly used in biology, agriculture, and metaphorical contexts to denote initiation or birth of something new.
"A chick will hatch after about 21 days of incubation."
"Researchers studied the hatching rate of the eggs under different temperatures."
"The artist’s idea began hatching into a full project after several sketches."
Pronounce it as /ˈhætʃɪŋ/. Start with /h/ breath, then /æ/ as in cat, followed quickly by the affricate /tʃ/ (like chat). End with /ɪŋ/ where the tongue slightly rises toward the palate before delivering the nasal /ŋ/. Stress on the first syllable: HATCH-ing. Listen for a short, crisp /tʃ/ cluster between /æ/ and /ɪŋ/. IPA reference: US/UK/AU: /ˈhætʃɪŋ/.
Common errors include diluting the /tʃ/ into /t/ or /ʃ/ sounds (saying /ˈhætʃɪŋ/ as /ˈhæt.tɪŋ/ or /ˈhæʃɪŋ/), and misplacing stress or shortening the syllable (pronouncing /ˈhætʃɪŋ/ with reduced second vowel). The correction is to keep the /tʃ/ as a single affricate with minimal vowel elongation, maintain primary stress on HATCH, and ensure the trailing /ɪŋ/ is short, not lengthened.
In US, UK, and AU accents, the primary stress remains on the first syllable /ˈhætʃɪŋ/. Differences lie in vowel quality: US /æ/ is tensed and nasalized; UK tends to marginally creak the vowel in some speakers; AU is broad but maintains /æ/, with a slightly flatter intonation. The /tʃ/ remains the same across accents. Rhoticity does not affect this word significantly; all three typically maintain a non-rhotic or lightly rhotic variant depending on speaker.
The challenge lies in containing the /tʃ/ cluster between a short /æ/ and /ɪŋ/, which can blur into /æŋ/ or /ʃɪŋ/ for some learners. The alveolar /t/ plus /ʃ/ sequence requires precise timing and tongue coordination. Additionally, the /æ/ sound varies by accent and can approach /a/ in some dialects, causing further confusion with the following /t/. Focus on keeping /t/ crisp and merging into /tʃ/ without delaying the /ʃ/ portion.
Hatching features a consonant cluster at the boundary between the vowel /æ/ and /tʃ/ that requires a quick transition from alveolar to post-alveolar affricate, a rare but natural movement in English phonotactics. The ending /-ɪŋ/ also requires a short, clipped nasal release that should not be pronounced as /-iŋ/ with a long vowel. The combination of a stressed syllable, a tense front vowel, and a strong palatal affricate is particularly distinctive for learners.
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Hatching derives from the Old English hatchian, meaning to provide a hatch or to give access, linked to the noun hatch. The root *hāt* in Proto-Germanic signified enclosure or gate, evolving in Middle English to denote the act of opening or breaking through a shell or barrier. The modern sense—emergence from an egg—appears in the 16th-17th centuries as avian developmental biology emerged in medical and natural history texts. By the 19th century, hatching was widely used not only in zoology but in metaphorical senses such as plans or schemes breaking through initial form. The verb form “hatch,” common in agrarian contexts, shares the same lineage, and the -ing participle, “hatching,” marks ongoing or resultant action in contemporary usage.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "hatching" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "hatching"
-ing sounds
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